DHAKA: Bangladesh’s parliament Sunday amended a law to allow
the prosecution of the country’s largest Islamic party Jamaat-i-Islami
for war crimes in a move that could pave the way to it being banned.

News of the move was greeted by loud cheers from tens of thousands of
protesters in central Dhaka who have been demanding a ban on Jamaat,
whose leaders are on trial for war crimes allegedly committed in the
1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed told AFP that under the new law, “any
organisation including Jamaat can be prosecuted” by a special court for
war crimes and if found guilty “it can be banned” from politics.

The move comes after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday
indicated that she would back a ban on Jamaat, whose members are
suspected in the murder of an anti-Islamist blogger, as it had “no right
to be in politics in Bangladesh”.

Demonstrations championed by online activists have seen thousands
take to the streets for the last two weeks demanding the execution of
Jamaat leaders accused of genocide, murder and rape during the 1971 war.

Rival protests by Islamists demanding a halt to the trials of Jamaat leaders have turned violent, leaving 13 people dead.

Clashes between police and Islamists have intensified since last week
after a senior Jamaat leader was sentenced to life imprisonment for
mass murder.

Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have said
the trials are based on bogus charges and are part of a wider political
vendetta.

Both parties boycotted parliament, which passed the amended law less than a week after it was approved by the cabinet.

The government rejects the accusations and says the trials are needed
to heal wounds from the nine-month war in which it says three million
people were killed, many by pro-Pakistani militias whose members
allegedly included Jamaat officials.

Parliament also amended war crime laws to ensure the Jamaat leaders
can be swiftly executed if convicted and the verdict challenged if the
sentence is less than death.

It set a 60-day limit for the supreme court to dispose of appeals.

Comments

Bangladesh moves to ban main Islamic party

It's rare when a country stands up against Islamic supremacism. It's a survival move. Bravo!

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s parliament Sunday amended a law to allow
the prosecution of the country’s largest Islamic party Jamaat-i-Islami
for war crimes in a move that could pave the way to it being banned.

News of the move was greeted by loud cheers from tens of thousands of
protesters in central Dhaka who have been demanding a ban on Jamaat,
whose leaders are on trial for war crimes allegedly committed in the
1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed told AFP that under the new law, “any
organisation including Jamaat can be prosecuted” by a special court for
war crimes and if found guilty “it can be banned” from politics.

The move comes after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday
indicated that she would back a ban on Jamaat, whose members are
suspected in the murder of an anti-Islamist blogger, as it had “no right
to be in politics in Bangladesh”.

Demonstrations championed by online activists have seen thousands
take to the streets for the last two weeks demanding the execution of
Jamaat leaders accused of genocide, murder and rape during the 1971 war.

Rival protests by Islamists demanding a halt to the trials of Jamaat leaders have turned violent, leaving 13 people dead.

Clashes between police and Islamists have intensified since last week
after a senior Jamaat leader was sentenced to life imprisonment for
mass murder.

Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have said
the trials are based on bogus charges and are part of a wider political
vendetta.

Both parties boycotted parliament, which passed the amended law less than a week after it was approved by the cabinet.

The government rejects the accusations and says the trials are needed
to heal wounds from the nine-month war in which it says three million
people were killed, many by pro-Pakistani militias whose members
allegedly included Jamaat officials.

Parliament also amended war crime laws to ensure the Jamaat leaders
can be swiftly executed if convicted and the verdict challenged if the
sentence is less than death.